The zombies crowded through the door leading into the hallway. Spotting their elusive prey, they forced their rotting limbs to move faster; they would have them within moments.

Candy took the shotgun from Sarah and fired into the approaching crowd. She brought down a handful of the zombies but dozens more took their place.

Sarah kicked at the door until it slowly gave way. She heard something heavy on the other side grating against pavement as she forced the door open. Her boot crashed down on the metal latch again and again until she could almost fit her arm through the opening.

The shotgun roared behind her, its deafening firepower cutting into the zombie ranks and making her adrenaline kick into high gear.

Then, the shotgun clicked on an empty chamber. Candy was out of ammunition.

Sarah slammed into the door like a running back and heard the object blocking their way out move a few more inches. She saw Candy swinging the shotgun at the zombies. If she didn't get the door open soon they were both going to die here. She dug her shoulder into the door, braced her feet, and shoved for all she was worth.

Daylight streamed through as the crack in the door widened.

Sarah had enough room to squeeze herself through. She was halfway outside when she saw Candy bashing in the head of a zombie. She was covered in gore and not allowing the swarm to gain any ground.

Sarah went back into the hallway. She gritted her teeth and grabbed Candy around the waist and shoved her toward the door. The girl went flying, smacking the door with a THOMP. Sarah watched Candy escape as the dead ripped their blackened nails into her jacket, pulling her back. Sarah wrestled free of the clothing and slid through the doorway. Once outside, she noticed what was keeping the door sealed: a soda machine flipped over on its side.

Countless rotting, skeletal hands reached through the crack in the door; had the zombies taken turns they could've gone through the door single file, but they didn't. They were like a crazed mob at the mall during Christmas time, and all of them were after the same gift.

Sarah shoved the soda machine closer to the door. Her arms ached as she pushed, and her lower back popped. The soda machine only moved a few inches under her failing strength.

"There's no time for that," Candy said from behind her. "We need to get out of here."

Sarah whipped around. She shoved Candy in front of her and shouted, "Move out!"

As they ran, the back door to the grocery store opened. The soda machine could not hold back the undead swarm any longer and they came pouring out.

Together, Sarah and Candy ran alongside the store. The entire zombie horde was inside the store, all of them fighting to get to the meat department. They darted through the parking lot and raced toward the church.

Candy was breathing hard. She had used all of her energy in running away and now she could barely even jog. Sarah caught up to her quickly. Her lungs were slightly burning but she could keep up the steady pace for over half an hour if she had to. She matched her speed with Candy's as they went past the church and into the graveyard.

"I can't . . . run anymore," Candy whined.

"You can and you will," Sarah said.

Candy slowed down considerably. She was still jogging but a fast walker could catch up to her without any trouble.

"Keep moving, we're almost there," Sarah urged her on.

They reached the sloping hillside and although they set a slower pace they began moving faster downhill. Tombstones flashed by, the dead nailed to them watched them pass with blank stares.

Sarah took the lead when they reached the forest. She ducked under the fir trees and came to an abrupt halt. The Winnebago was where she had left it but all around it were piles of headless zombies. She walked around the corpses and banged on the vehicle's door.

"Open up, it's me," she announced.

Alex swung open the door. He held a bloodied machete and gave her a warm smile.

"Glad to see you're still among the living," he said, and let her inside. "Where's the girl?"

Sarah spun around. Candy was nowhere in sight.

"She was right here a second ago."

Sarah stepped around the mutilated bodies and ducked back under the fir trees. She found Candy kneeling beside a tombstone with a woman nailed to it. The woman didn't seem to have been a zombie when she met her fate, but she had the same sad expression the dead always carried with them after life and warmth have abandoned them.

"Candy . . ."

The redhaired girl lifted her head. Tears spilled down both cheeks.

"They shot her in the head because she bit one of them. I saw those men take her outside, but I never imagined this. What kind of people were they?"

Sarah put her hand on her shoulder. "It's getting late. We need to go inside before anyone of the rotters sees us out here."

"She was a good woman. Her name was Peggy. Before we were taken she used to help me pray every night. We can't leave her like this."

"We won't," Sarah said. "But now is not the time for this."

Candy got to her feet, sniffled, and headed for the woods. She barely took notice of the dead zombies littering the ground around the Winnebago, and stepped inside without protest.

Sarah followed her in and locked the door behind them. Alex handed her and Candy a cup of hot chocolate. Candy sat down at the table and lowered her head.

"Where are Joelle and Paris? Please tell me that you put him out of his misery," Sarah said.

"He's handcuffed to the bunk next to the bathroom. He tried to attack Joelle and she hit him with a toaster."

"That's my girl. Is she asleep?" Sarah asked and peered at the lump under the blankets on the top bunk.

"Not yet," Joelle muttered. "But I'd like to be so shut up."

Sarah laughed.

"Oh, by the way," Joelle said. "I'm glad you made it back alive."

Chapter 20.

They were on the road two days later. Running low on food and water, they were forced to search for supplies. Before they left the graveyard behind they had a quick burial service for Peggy and then they were on their way. Candy hadn't said much of anything since the funeral and tended to stay in the kitchen far away from Paris. Instead of using the bathroom and having to see him she would hold it and go outside. Paris did nothing but sleep until the Winnebago started moving. Sarah was at the wheel, Alex was looking at an atlas and trying to direct them through the best route to take, Joelle made more pipe bombs, and Candy stared out the window. After they left the graveyard and pulled onto a back road, Paris began screaming.

"Shut him up, Alex," Sarah said. "I can't drive with all that noise."

Alex grumbled and placed the atlas on his seat. He went to the back of the vehicle and looked down on the injured man. His stitches still held firm; a little blood leaked out, but that was to be expected.

"What's the problem?" Alex asked.

"You can't leave. What about my men? They're still looking for me. Still . . ."

"They're fucking dead. All of them," Alex said.

Joelle looked up from her stack of pipe bombs. She looked almost comical, like Barbie playing with explosives.

"What's going on back there?" she asked.

"Paris is delirious. He thinks his men are still alive and going to rescue him," Alex replied.

"Ha!" Joelle snorted, and went back to work cutting open bullets they didn't have guns for and spilling the powder into a glass cup.

"They're coming for me!" Paris insisted.

"Nobody is coming," Alex said. "You're with us for a little while."

"Ask him where the Marauders went," Sarah said from the front.

Alex leaned over Paris. He wrapped his hand around the man's neck and squeezed. "Tell me where the Marauders went after you drove them out of the church or I'll kill you right now you fucking shit."

Paris choked, unable to speak. His face turned a bright shade of red.

"Answer me!"

"Alex, stop it," Joelle said. "You'll kill him."

Candy took her gaze away from the window. She watched Alex strangling Paris and stood from her seat.

"Alex, don't please," Candy said, almost whispering the words.

He released his grip. He looked over his shoulder at Candy. She nodded and sat back down.

Paris coughed and sucked air into his lungs.

"We need him for now," Candy said. She turned her head and went back to watching the scenery pass by the window.

Alex looked down at Paris and flexed his hand.

"Where did they go?" He demanded.

"North. I heard one of them say something about a cabin in the mountains," Paris said.

"How did you . . ." Alex said, and then a sickening realization dawned on him. "You didn't fight them. You traded with them."

Paris smiled and closed his eyes.

Later that day, Sarah stopped the Winnebago in a CVS parking lot. The store looked like it was in decent shape: the windows weren't shattered and they could see the shelves weren't completely empty. There was a movie rental store next door that hadn't fared as well. The facade was destroyed most likely due to a car ramming into it. The car was nowhere in sight.

"I don't like the looks of this place," Joelle said. "We should look for supplies somewhere else."

Sarah tucked her .357 in a gun holster around her belt and took out one of the shotguns from the storage closet.

"Aren't you listening to me?" Joelle pressed.

Alex withdrew his machete and made sure his rifle was secure on his back.

"We need to stop wherever we can, Joelle. Haven't you been on the road before?" Alex asked her.

"Yeah well . . . once with Sarah," she said.

"Stay here and watch over Candy and Paris," Sarah instructed. "And feel free to slam a toaster into his nuts again."

"Ha ha, very funny," she said.

Sarah and Alex left the Winnebago. They scanned the perimeter before moving closer to the CVS.

A bitter wind howled through the parking lot, bringing a cold chill and the promise of winter.

"Damn, it's fucking freezing out here," Sarah said, shivering. She stood closer to Alex, stealing a little of his warmth.

"It's going to snow soon. Where is the cabin?" he asked, and dared to put his arm around her.

Sarah didn't move away. She continued to stand in place and gaze into the store.

"I know where it is," she said. "It'll take us awhile to get there, though. I doubt if the Marauders have even reached it yet." She shook her head. "I can't believe they let those fuckers live. We're at war with the Watchers. We don't trade or negotiate with them." She turned to face him, content in his closeness. "Do you know what I mean?"

Alex looked into her bright, sea green eyes and leaned in to kiss her.

Sarah closed her eyes.

But before their lips connected a loud BEEP came from the Winnebago's horn.

Sarah sighed and jerked her head around. She caught a glimpse of movement from the movie store and saw a large group of zombies headed their way.

"Shit," Sarah said. "I knew this place was too good to be true."

Alex put his machete away and traded it for his sniping rifle.

"We can take them down," he said. "Are you game?"

Sarah couldn't help but smile at him. "You read my mind," she laughed, and lifted her shotgun.

There were at least twenty of the walking corpses all in different stages of decomposition. The front ranks were composed of a few females and lots of males, their skin had taken on a dull grey color and parts of their bodies were decorated with festering wounds from when they had met their fate. The back row held a hell spawn of zombies withered down to scraps of moving muscle and protruding bones.

Alex and Sarah aimed for the group and fired. Sarah's shotgun leveled the front ranks, as she constantly pumped buckshot rounds out of her firearm and into the approaching horde. Alex was more careful and picked off the zombies one by one. After a few minutes they had managed to kill every one of the rotters. The air became thick with gun smoke and their ears were ringing.